War Never Changes
by Okami Naoko-hime
Summary: A lone courier rises from the grave after being ambushed, her past forgotten and her future uncertain. She makes her way across the Mojave, seeking answers. In her wake, blood is spilled and lives are changed. Because war... war never changes.
1. Ain't That a Kick in the Head

_Just a few more inches, and she'd be safe. She dug her nails in, pulling her broken body to the shore line. Rosy streaks were snaking across the sky. She had to hurry! They'd be awake in mere moments. The water was so close… At the first cry of alarm, she somehow pulled herself into the water. The cold relief was a sweet blessing. Not because she thought to get away. There was no getting away…not alive._

_She wanted to die._

Hazel eyes opened, quickly adjusting to the bright light filtering through the dirty window. The small woman put a hand to her head, feeling the bandages that were caked with her dried blood.

"Ah, you're awake. How about that." An unfamiliar voice chuckled. The woman looked over at an old man, who wore a warm smile and a white mustache that contrasted nicely with his tanned skin. He seemed nice enough, but looks were deceiving. She jerked upright, but immediately regretted it. The room was sent spinning round and round, and she flopped back against her pillow.

"Whoa, easy there. Easy. You been out cold a couple of days now." He got up from his seat, and slowly helped her sit up in the bed.

"Who are you?" she asked when the world stopped dancing.

"I'm Doc Mitchell." He answered as he sat back down, "And you are one lucky gal. You got shot in the head over in the cemetery."

The image of a gun aimed at her flashed before her eyes, phantom gunfire ringing in her ears. She shuddered. "I would have been even luckier if I hadn't been shot."

Doc Mitchell nodded in agreement, then his warm smile disappeared. "How much can you remember? What about your name? Can you tell me that?"

The woman paused for a moment. Doc Mitchell watched as her eyes slowly glazed over. For a moment, he feared she'd slip back into unconsciousness. But she just shook her head, and dropped her gaze to her lap. He sighed. The damage was worse than he thought. Well, the mental damage, anyway.

"That's okay, that's okay. It'll come back eventually. 'Til then, what do ya wanna be called?"

"Umm….." the woman looked around, trying to think of something she liked. Her eyes alighted upon a stack of books that sat on top of shelves leaning to the side. One book stood out; it was barely dirty or burned, and seemed to have all its pages. On the spine, she saw a name printed in gold. It was a little silly for her to be called, but it was better than nothing.

"Angel." She said at last, "It's a decent name."

"Angel it is then." Doc Mitchell agreed, standing up and extending his hand, "Welcome to Goodsprings."

* * *

(Author's Note:: Okay, so since I have a bit of a block for my other stories *I'm revising one, though*, I've decided to try and write this story, in hopes of getting my muse to work for the other two. It's worked before, so, keep an eye out for I Know You and the return of House of the Blue Moon!))


	2. Dogfight and Dinky

_"Oh, shit…"_

Angel ignored the severed heads gazing at her as she slowly moved through the destroyed town. She was really regretting taking the route through Nipton. She spared glances at the people on the posts lining the road, illuminated by the firelight of the torches set beside them. The deepening shadows of dusk danced across the hard lines of their faces, transforming them into terrifying phantoms. She checked them for signs of life, but everyone was dead.

She searched inside a few houses, trying to find any survivors, but most of what she found was tickets for some lottery, and blood trails leading back outside. Whatever had hit the town had been merciless. It wasn't until she reached a house with a pyre roaring out front that she found something to lift her spirits.

Like all of the houses in the ruined world, it was crumbling and cracked, a poor sight to behold. The door had been torn off its hinges, and lay at the entrance, covered in blood. There was a hand lying in the middle of the living room, clutching another ticket. Angel made her way into the bedroom, but a quick scan told her it was empty. Deciding to see if there was ammo to pilfer in the cabinet, she crossed the dirty floor. A tiny, muffled sound made her pause though. She looked around, but saw nothing. Figuring that she was just hearing things, she opened the cabinet and looked through. It was empty. Most likely thanks to whoever destroyed the town.

Dejected, she turned to leave. But just as she passed through the door, she heard the noise again. Angel drew her gun, and crept back towards the bed. Hopefully it wasn't a bark scorpion. She ducked down and turned her Pip-Boy light on, shining it underneath. Her breath caught in her throat when a wide pair of eyes blinked rapidly, almost certainly blinded by her light. Angel quickly turned it off and put away her gun. There was no need for it at the moment.

"Hey, sweetie. Are you okay?" she asked the little girl hiding beneath the bed. The girl only nodded, clutching a torn teddy bear tightly to her chest. Angel reached a hand out for the girl to take, which she did. Slowly, gently, she helped the girl out. Her pink dress was drenched in blood and little more than rags. The blood wasn't hers, as she truly was uninjured. The thought wasn't comforting, though. It only made Angel _angrier_.

"What's your name?" Angel asked quietly, setting the girl in her lap. Again, the child was silent, and only stared up at her. Wanting to get something, anything, out of her, Angel tried something else. "What's his name?" She nodded at the teddy bear.

The girl was silent for a moment, then almost in a whisper, she said, "Patches." And aptly named, apparently. The toy was almost more patch than plush at this point, and just as dirty as the little girl.

"That's a nice name. I bet you have a nice name, too." Angel nudged.

"…Charlotte. But Mama called me Lottie."

"Nice to meet you Lottie. I'm Angel." She stood up, hoisting the child onto her hip, minding her leather armor. A wave of déjà vu fell over her, but she set that aside to think on later. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Angel thought it best to get more supplies, what with her new companion and all. The nearest ranger station was a good distance As she made her way to the general store, she told Lottie to keep her eyes closed, and talk about her life with her Mama. That way she was less likely to hear the moans of the dying around her, few as they were now. She would have preferred to get them down and bury them, but she needed to get Lottie out as quickly as possible.

As she got closer to the store, however, bullets flew by her head. Immediately she ducked behind a rusted heap of a car, ordering Lottie to keep down. She drew her gun and peered over the hood of the car, spying crimson figure up ahead. She knew who they were immediately. She'd heard enough about them from the people she'd met on her way down from Goodsprings to recognize the Legionnaires. They formed a line in front of the town hall, their mongrels sitting at their feet obediently…for the moment. She took note of how many there were, who seemed the most dangerous, and the number of dogs they had with them. But the fact remained, she was simply outnumbered. Attacking them would mean certain death, for her and Lottie both. Then again, people said the same thing about getting shot in the head too.

"Don't worry, that was just to get your attention. It's useful that you happened by." The one wearing a dog hide called out, voice deceptively soft. A sickening feeling pooled in her stomach. This one was definitely the worst of the bunch. He seemed to be the type that loved killing, even more so than the average Legionnaire. "I am Vulpes Inculta. I want you to witness the fate of Nipton, and tell everyone you meet of the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially NCR."

"What '_lesson_'?" Angel asked, grip tightening on her gun.

"Like many towns in this land, Nipton was a wicked place. It served all comers, so long as they paid. It was a town of _whores_." He smiled. **_Sick bastard_**. "I announced a lottery, deciding who would live and who would die. Each clutched his ticket, hoping it would set them free as they did nothing, even when _'loved ones'_ were dragged away to be killed."

Beside her, Lottie sobbed. Angel could feel her face reddening with rage. "You slaughtered innocent civilians?!"

He laughed derisively. "Innocent? _Hardly_. Each cared only for _himself_."

She took a look around at the crosses that dotted the town, at the dead and dying. She had no love for Powder Gangers, or the Mayor whose journal she'd stumbled upon in a ruined gas station on her way to the Outpost. But no one deserved this fate. "_This is unforgivable_."

The man crossed his arms and shrugged. "As are all crimes. If you feel so strongly, attack. But soon you won't feel a thing. Neither will that pretty little thing next to you."

Angel paused, sparing a quick glance around her. Vulpes seemed to assume that meant she was too cowardly to fight, and turned to leave with his men. It was perhaps his second biggest mistake. She was just waiting until all their backs were turned, when they couldn't see what was about to happen to them. She looked over at Lottie, whispering to her to get in the car and cover her ears. The child wasted no time complying.

Satisfied that she was sufficiently shielded, Angel drew her gun and aimed it as she hissed, "I bet you'll feel this, _bastard_."

* * *

Boone didn't miss much, if anything. It was just before dawn, and no one should've been up and about. Except Manny, though he didn't leave his room until a few minutes before his shift. That made the small figure heading into town stand out that much more. A closer look through his scope revealed the woman was limping and one arm was dangling at their side. The child walking at her side didn't seem to be hurt.

Soon the females disappeared into Doctor Ada's tent, and Boone once again surveyed the wastes of the Mojave, unsure if they would get any more visitors. He half-hoped they would. Preferably dressed in red. It had been way too long since a Legionnaire had wandered into range of his rifle. It was mostly petty raiders and pests these days. But dawn came and his shift was over, with no other activity. So he quickly headed back to his room, determined not to bump into Manny. It would just end in another fight, and he didn't need that again. He'd just grabbed the door knob when he heard it.

"You're that sniper from the dinosaur's mouth, right?"

He turned his head to glare down at a red haired woman, covered in bandages and bruises. A dark haired child in a dirty pink dress peered up at him from behind the woman's legs, green eyes wide. Unconsciously, his look softened ever so slightly, so he was less frightening.

"Yeah." He grunted.

"I'm following a guy in a checkered suit. You wouldn't have happened to see him around here, would you?"

"No." he said, and turned back to the door to his room.

"Do you know if anyone else might have?" she asked just as he set foot inside.

"Try Manny Vargas." He said, setting his gun inside, "He'll be heading up to Dinky in a few minutes." He closed the door, leaving Angel alone with Lottie.

"_Dinky?_ What the fu-" Angel looked down at Lottie, voice cracking before quickly covering up her almost slip, "-nniest name!"

"Nice save." Lottie giggled.

"Whatever. Let's go wait inside _Dinky_, okay?" Angel said, taking Lottie's hand. Again, déjà vu hit her full force. Looking down at Lottie, Angel was surprised to see a young boy in her place, hazel eyes staring into her own. Her gaze dropped to the gaping slash on his throat, which gushed blood down his shirt.

"Angel? Are you okay?"

Angel blinked, and the strange vision was gone, leaving little Lottie back in her place. She squeezed Angel's hand as she searched the older woman's face, which had contorted in shock and was now blank.

"Yeah…" Angel mumbled, eyes glazing over. "Yeah, I'm okay, Lottie. What was I saying?"

"You said we should wait inside Dinky for that Mr. Manny." Lottie reminded her. Even at only seven years of age, Lottie knew something was terribly wrong. She wondered if she should get the lady doctor they'd visited earlier to look at her again.

"Alright, let's go." Angel said quietly, gently tugging Lottie behind her.

Neither could see the slight opening in the blinds in Boone's window, or his watchful, knowing gaze.

* * *

((Author's Note : A bit longer than the first chapter, but really, that was more of a prologue than anything. I'll try to keep the chapters about this length for the rest of the series. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated. :) Just no undue remarks like 'OMG ur so lyk totes stoopid and shiz lol'. Just, no. Nothing like that, please.))


	3. One For My Baby

He was glad the kid kept quiet. Manny had expected endless chattering, but Lottie had simply sat down next to his feet to read a book Cliff Briscoe had lent her from the store. Sometimes she'd ask a question or make a comment, but they were few and far between, he was happy to say. Fewer distractions that way.

The welcome quiet was interrupted, however, when a boom almost busted his eardrums. Out of the corner of his eye, a bright flash illuminated the landscape in a bright orange glow. Manny leaned out of Dinky's mouth, and looked towards the RepConn facility, where a long trail of smoke snaked up into the darkening sky behind three rockets. It certainly made for an incredible sight, but it was lost on the ex-NCR. Something told him it was that red haired woman's doing. When he'd asked her to clear the place out in exchange for information on her would-be killer, he didn't necessarily have a giant explosion in mind. But what really concerned him was who might be curious about it and come running to find out what was going on. There was Nelson nearby, of course, and it was overrun with Legion scumbags.

"I think Miss Angel likes blowing stuff up." Lottie said quietly, looking up from her spot next to Manny. "She blew up those bad men at home too. And the other people we met when we were coming here." Lottie went back to her book Cliff had loaned her, as if everything was as it should be. Manny raised an eyebrow at her reaction. Weird kid.

"I guess that means she's done it. Better hold up my end of the deal." He muttered to himself, looking back towards the facility. The last bit of sunlight was fading, and the stars blinked into existence one by one. Manny shouldered his rifle and opened the door, motioning for Lottie to follow. They descended the steps down into Cliff's store, pausing only to let Lottie return her book. Manny had just opened the door to leave the store when he noticed the doorway was blocked by a tall figure.

"Boone." He answered quietly, looking him square in the eye.

"Manny." Boone replied, the hint of anger in his voice as usual.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Manny stepped aside, pulling Lottie with him. Wordlessly, Boone passed them and headed up to the nest, Manny watching him all the way. When he felt a tug on his shirt, he looked down at Lottie.

"What just happened?" she asked, hugging Patches close.

"Nothing to worry about kid." He said assured her, tussling her hair.

Damn, now he needed a drink.

* * *

"Howdy there, partner!"

'_Oh, just shoot me now,'_ Angel mentally groaned. She'd been hoping to head straight for Manny's room uninterrupted. With her luck, she probably should've known better. "Um, hi, Victor. What brings you here?"

"Got an itching to mosey on to the Strip not too long after you left Goodsprings. Don't rightly know why, though." The robot chirped, the friendly cowboy face flickering on screen, "Listen, between you and me, Novac's a nice enough place, but when I rolled into town, my skin started to itch… _**Watch yourself**_."

The unusually ominous tone of the perpetually chipper robot sent a chill up her spine. The hell was this all about? "Well, then, I better scoot on out of here soon, shouldn't I?" Angel said, more to herself than Victor.

"Sounds like a mighty fine idea. You might fancy buying one a' them dino-saur doo-hickeys up in the gift shop 'fore you go. They're real popular, I hear." Victor suggested before rolling away towards the road, disappearing into the starry night.

Looking up at Dinky, Angel searched for Manny, but instead found herself looking at the mouth of the dinosaur, where the other sniper, Boone, was surely standing guard. For some reason, she thought she could feel him looking at her. Unnerved, Angel looked away and trudged to the motel, hoping to get the info Manny promised her and maybe even crash on his floor. It'd been one hell of a day, running errands for crazy religious ghouls and fighting. At the rate her journey was going, Angel was beginning to doubt she'd ever catch up with her would-be killer.

When she stepped inside Manny's room, she found he was already asleep in one bed, and the other was taken up by Lottie and Patches. The glow of the terminal in the back of the room was the only source of light, and the new object of her curiosity. She tiptoed as quietly as she could towards the desk, and wasted no time in poling her nose in Manny's business. Hell, as far as she was concerned, she was just being nice and letting him rest. Lucky for her, the information she was looking for was already pulled up, just waiting for her perusal.

"Miss Angel?"

At the sound of her name, Angel turned to face Lottie, who blearily looked up at her from the bed. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry sweetie. Go back to sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Silently, the child opened her arms, reaching out for her. Just as quietly, Angel shut off the terminal and set aside her weapons before crawling in beside Lottie, tucking her against her side. Again, déjà vu hit Angel. Something about a child…

"Miss Angel, I think you need to help out that Boone man." Lottie whispered. "Lots of other people were talking about his wife today. They said she disappeared. I think that's why he seems so angry."

Angel resisted the urge to groan. Another errand to run. But there was no denying that her curiosity was piqued again. Maybe this was what Victor was talking about? 'No, I shouldn't get involved. This has real bad shit written all over it.' Angel told herself. If a _robot_ said there was something wrong, then something was _really_ wrong.

"Please help him, Miss Angel. Manny says he was nice before. Maybe he can be nice again." Lottie insisted. Angel didn't need any light to know she was pulling the puppy dog eyes. _Damn_.

"We'll see in the morning. Go to sleep, Lottie." Angel said, sighing.

'_I am such a pushover…_'

* * *

Her plan had been to grab supplies from Doctor Ada and Cliff before Boone left the sniper nest, but apparently the universe had other ideas. Ada, for some reason, had decided to be extra stubborn that morning about her prices for bandages and healing poultice. Though considering it was just before dawn, Angel reluctantly admitted to herself it was probably justified on the doctor's part. After about half an hour, she got fed up and paid for the supplies. She hurried to the gift store to pick up more ammo after the previous day's adventure, hoping Cliff was already up as well.

It was just as she opened the door to Cliff's store that she bumped into none other than the permanently scowling sniper himself. '_Thank you, Universe._' Angel thought unhappily. She stepped aside to let him pass, but he simply stood there, staring at her.

"What, do I have something on my face?" Angel quipped. '_Other than a new bandage holding my scrambled brains in?_' she added mentally. Normally she'd have her scarf covering her healing wound, but she decided to give it to Lottie, who had nothing to keep the sun off her face.

A few moments pass by before he answered with his own question. "_Why are you here?_" he asked bluntly.

"Why are you asking?"

"You were helping Manny. Maybe you can help me." Boone stepped out on to the small steps, shutting the door behind him. "I need someone I can trust. You're a stranger. That's a start."

Angel could only imagine Lottie somehow bending reality to her will to ensure she helped this guy. Damn it, she needed to get to Boulder! "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to find something out for me. I don't know if there's anything to find, but I need someone to try."

She could feel another bout of running around the desert coming on.

"My wife was taken from our home by Legion slavers one night while I was on watch. They knew when to come and what route to take, and they only took Carla. Someone set it up. I don't know who."

Oh, well… Shit. Victor _was_ right about this place.

"You're trying to track her down?" Seemed like he should be tagging along, then. The last time she took on Legionaries alone, she almost died.

Boone shook his head. "My wife's dead. I want the son of a bitch who sold her."

"So what do I do when I find the guy who did it?" Angel asked, crossing her arms. "Beat 'em into a bloody pulp, turn 'em into swiss cheese… Any personal preference?"

"No, I kill him myself. Bring him out in front of the nest while I'm on duty. I work nights." Boone reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a red beret, similar to his own but slightly less worn. "This'll be the signal, so I know you're with him."

"I'll do what I can." She answered, taking the beret from him. Well, what was one more day of waiting?

"Good. I'll make it worth your while." Boone adjusted the rifle on his back as he descended the steps, "We shouldn't speak until it's over. If the bastard who sold Carla finds out I know what happened, the Legion'll be after both of us next."

"Er, they're already after me." Angel gave him a wry smile, scratching her head. "I kinda killed some of them. I think one of them was Wool-per…uh, Wool-Pee—"

"Vulpes Inculta?"

"Yeah, that guy. I just call him Dog Breath." She answered.

For a moment she thought she could see a smirk on his face before he turned away again. She supposed it was a trick of the light. "Boone." She said suddenly, something about his earlier words nagging at her. "How do you know your wife's dead?"

Boone looked at her over his shoulder for a moment. Then he spoke, ever so quietly.

"_I just know_."

* * *

Angel tucked the bill of sale into her pants pocket, hands shaking with fury. She wanted nothing more than to beat Jeannie May into a bloody fucking pulp and bury her alive. How could she do that to another human being? And, from what she gathered, one who had done nothing to her! Carla Boone didn't seem to like the small town atmosphere of Novac, but that wasn't a bad thing. Might've been a bit snobbish in some people's minds, but it was hardly a crime. And hell, Angel couldn't really blame her for wanting a ritzier lifestyle. Sure beat scraping by in the wasteland.

At least it didn't take much to draw Jeannie May out. She didn't even have to give her a good reason! Now if only _every_ bad guy was just as dumb… Looking over, Angel glared at the back of Jeannie May's head as she stared out into the waste, searching for something that wasn't there.

"I don't see anything." The old woman said, craning her neck as she looked from side to side.

"It's there, see?" Angel whispered, pointing out in no particular direction. As Jeannie May took a few steps further, Angel slipped the Boone's beret out of her pocket and gently tugged it down over her bandages. Now she just had to wait.

When the old woman's head exploded and Angel's face and shirt were dripping with blood, Angel looked down at the body. She debated on whether or not to dispose of it, but eventually left it were it had fallen, figuring whatever desert critter stumbled on it would be grateful for the free meal.

"Nice shooting, Tex." Angel greeted him as she stepped inside the nest. "Especially with sunglasses on at night. The NCR must really be missing you."

Boone was not one to mince words. But that was okay. "How did you know?"

In answer, Angel held out the bill of sale. He took it from her hands, clutched it tightly as he read it, and crumbled it when he finished. The look in his eyes…well, it was definitely scary as hell. He turned around to face the desert again, hunched over, hands against the edge of Dinky's mouth. For a while, they just stood there, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. She guessed he was probably thinking of killing every Legionnaire in the world. Seemed like a nice idea to her.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked quietly, stepping up beside him.

"I don't know." He sighed, standing straight. "I won't be staying, that I know. Don't see much point in anything right now…except hunting Legionaries."

"Hey, that sounds like a good plan to me." Angel agreed, crossing her arms. "Know what, you should come with me."

Boone scoffed, looking down at her. "You don't want that."

"Oh? Don't snipers work in pairs?" Angel countered, staring up at him.

He gave a humorless chuckle. "Yeah. Working alone…it's a lot less effective. I've been there…" He looked back out over the wasteland, his cold smile fading. "…and paid for it."

He was quiet for a moment again before he turned to leave, Angel following. "But this isn't going to end well."

"Only if we don't take out a good bit of the Legion. I'll be pissed if I don't make it higher up on their shit list before kicking the bucket."

"Hnh. Maybe you're okay…" he trailed off, waiting for her.

"Angel. My name's Angel." She answered as they left the store. "But that might change when I remember what I'm _really_ called."

"You don't know?" She could hear the skepticism, loud and clear.

"For now…I hope." She pulled off the beret to point at her bandages, which probably needed changing soon. "Got shot and buried about a couple of weeks ago. Guy who did it did a really shitty job. Didn't even make sure I was dead! I mean, honestly, that should be the first thing to do! Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"So now you're after him, right?"

"Yup. Well, and taking the kid to the Strip. She says she has family there."

"Why is she with _you_ then?"

Angel paused in her tracks, images of Nipton flashing in her mind. "Nipton got hit hard by the Legion. That's where I took down Dog Breath and met her." She explained as she started moving again.

Boone fell into step with her. "The whole town was wiped out?"

"Yeah. She was the only one I saw there. I hope someone else got out, but I doubt it."

They both grew quiet as they approached the motel, Boone heading for his room and Angel heading for Manny's. "We'll leave at noon. The fucker won't sit in Boulder forever." She said as she opened the door and stepped inside.

"Angel."

She leaned back to peer around the doorframe at Boone. "Yeah?"

"Thank you." He said, then disappeared before she could speak.

"You're welcome." Angel yawned, closing the door behind her.


	4. They Went That-A-Way

_The crawl towards the water seemed to take forever. The small stretch of bank seemed to recede with every inch she pulled herself further. She had to get to the water. She couldn't let them take her again, couldn't let them find out she hadn't been dead after all. They'd just tie her up again to wait for a lifetime of hell._

_A shout came from behind, just as the sun brightened the sky. With the last of her strength, she pulled herself into the water. The coolness of it soothed her wounds, leeched the extra warmth of her skin from her fever. She sank, down, down, down to the murky bottom. It wouldn't be long before she drowned. It had seemed like a lifetime since the attack, the day their happiness was destroyed. She'd tried to be strong, resisted their attempts to break her, at first. But when they went after Wyatt, she crumbled. She tried to save him, and that only made things worse. At least now, they could be together now, with Joseph, too…_

_But something plunged in after her, reached for her. She screamed silently, bubbles tickling her face as they glided up to the surface. She swatted at the figure, begged it in her mind to go away and let her die. She felt an iron grip on her arms, something was shaking_…

"Wake up!"

Angel's eyes snapped open. Boone was looming over her, hands on her shoulders. Lottie stood right next to him, clutching Patches like a lifeline. Manny was nowhere to be seen, but the sunlight filtering through the broken blinds and boards gave her a clue as to where he might be.

Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her head felt like someone had hit her with a brick a few times. And despite the heat of the day, she was chilled to the bone. "What? What's going on?"

"Kid got into my room and woke me up, said you were crying in your sleep. Then you started screaming." He explained, letting go of her.

"Oh, sorry. It was just a….just a bad dream." Angel breathed, wiping sweat off her brow. "What time is it?"

He didn't press for answers, which she was grateful for. "Almost noon." He grunted, turning for the door. "Let's just hurry and get out of this place."

"Not much of morning person, is he?" Angel mumbled after he left. She rolled out of the bed and disappeared into the bathroom to wash up and check her bandaging. The wounds she got from Vulpes and the gang from the road to Novac were healing nicely, and the gash on her head was looking better. Hopefully they'd be fully healed before long. She was spending more on bandages and healing poultice than ammo at the moment.

"Ready to go, Lottie?" Angel chirped as she left the bathroom, picking up her new varmint rifle and slinging over her shoulder.

"Yeah." She answered, taking Angel's outstretched hand. Angel made for the door, but paused when she felt Lottie tugging.

"What?"

"You're not really okay, are you? You looked really scared." Lottie asked, looking up at her with a furrowed brow. "What scared you so much, Miss Angel?"

Angel bit her lip. She couldn't tell Lottie about her dreams. The kid had enough of her own nightmares after Nipton. She didn't need Angel adding her own problems to hers. "I don't really remember much. Besides, it's just a dream. Dreams can't hurt you." She assured the child, pulling up the scarf she'd given her over her dark locks.

Lottie stared at her for a moment, and then buried her face in Patches' fur. "Okay then. Let's go. Mr. Boone is waiting."

Relieved the girl wouldn't press further, Angel opened the door and closed it behind them. They had a long road ahead of them.

* * *

Boone made sure to keep an eye on her. She had seemed okay as they left Novac, but as the hours dragged on and they drew closer to the El Dorado gas station, she began to look out of sorts, only snapping back to reality occasionally when the kid ran too far ahead or fell behind to look at some flower or vandalized old sign to call her back. It was probably a good thing he was there, then. She wasn't watching for danger at all—and with a child to look after, no less. And she was supposed to be going all the way to Vegas?

By the time they got to the decaying gas station, Angel had started rubbing her temples, taking care to not touch on her wound. The kid asked if she needed to change her bandages again, but she shook her head, and sat at the campfire left out for travelers and traders who needed it. Right now they were the only ones there, and they had a good bit of daylight left, so they didn't bother with starting a fire yet. The kid fished out a couple of bottles of water from their packs, and some food they didn't need to cook. Boone had his own supplies in his pack, but when the girl walked up to him and held out some apples and bits of gecko jerky, he took them anyway. She'd probably start crying if he refused, anyway.

Then she started chattering about the books she'd been reading back in Novac, things about the Old World she hadn't known before, what it must have been like back then, and if the Strip really was like being there yourself, like she'd heard from soldiers and travelers back home. Angel only occasionally nodded her head or mumbled something. She was deep in thought about something else and hardly eating her dinner, let alone listening to the musings of the girl.

When the kid settled down on one of the makeshift beds near the fire pit after the sun set, Boone started a fire and sat done on a cinderblock in front of it. A few minutes later, Angel sat down across from him, but only stared into the fire or messed with her Pip-Boy. He told himself it wasn't his problem. He was just along to kill Legionaries. He wasn't there to babysit. It was her problem.

So even he surprised himself when he spoke. "What's wrong?"

Angel snapped to attention, hand hovering over the buttons of her Pip-Boy. "Wh-what?"

He just stared at her.

She sighed, and leaned forward, bracing her arms on her thighs. "I was…I was just thinking about my dream, is all."

"Enough that you completely ignore your surroundings and the kid?"

She grimaced, rubbing her head again. "I guess I was pretty out of it."

"That's an understatement."

She gave him a flat look, and then looked back at the fire. She was quiet for a moment. Then she looked over at Lottie, her eyes glazing over.

"I remembered some things."

The fire crackled. Somewhere a coyote howled, its voice broken and alone.

"What things?"

"Bits and pieces of traveling. Reading books by a fire. Learning to shoot." She said, holding her head in her hands. "It's all jumbled, and fuzzy, though. I can remember some names, some places. But I can't put it together."

"It's a start."

"I suppose."

"Just don't let this happen again."

Angel gave him a hard look. "I won't. Count on it." She stood up and started moving for the bedroll, turning in early to get some sleep before it was her turn to keep watch for raiders and the desert critters.

She had just sat down when the first hail of bullets came at them.

Boone grabbed his rifle and got off a few shots while Angel got a startled Lottie into the station. He heard her tell the kid to hide and not come out until they said to, and shut the door. When he ducked behind a column to reload, she started to fire herself. Looking around the battered stone, he saw the familiar red of the Legion. There were at least a dozen, with a few littering the ground—wait, no, there went two more—and then the ground to his right rushed up and exploded in orange and red and yellow. For a moment he was weightless, floating, but as all things must he fell, onto the cracked pavement, somehow managing to keep a hold of his gun. He shook his head as if it would bring back his hearing, and looked around for Angel. She sprawled near him, her clothing and hair singed, her rifle feet away, clothes bloodied. But her limbs were intact and she was stirring, slowly, and then she was reaching for her gun. He looked down at himself, assessing his own damage. There were some puncture marks on his legs from debris but nothing fatal. And here he was hoping…

He turned and aimed his gun at a charging Legionary, and his head burst open to stain the smoking ground red. One was heading for—the kid! What was she doing outside?! She let out a soundless scream, biting and kicking the man who'd grabbed her by her hair. But Angel had gotten back on her feet beside him, and fired her gun. The Legionary's grip on the kid loosened, then he slumped to the ground at Lottie's feet. But more Legionaries were pressing in on them. Where the hell did they even come from? He didn't have time to think when something hit his shoulder, burning and biting his flesh and managing to make him take a step back. He heard Angel hiss in pain too, and he knew she'd been hit as well.

"Inside!" He yelled over the gunfire, hoping she heard. She grabbed the kid and ducked inside to escape more bullets. They'd have to run out soon. He backed into the dark building, emptying his rifle before moving behind the counter. At least now they'd have cover.

"Damnit. They got me good." He heard her say as he fished some ammo from his pocket to reload.

He glanced over, just to check how bad it was, but cursed when he saw she'd been hit in her side. Looked pretty bad too. She looked back at him, and let out a humorless laugh.

"Courtesy wound. Can't let them feel inadequate, right?" she breathed, pressing a hand to her side.

He didn't reply. She took a deep breath. He knew she knew they wouldn't be getting out of this. He'd been expecting an end kind of like this one. But just for himself. They shouldn't have to go out like that. Far as he knew, they were both good people.

"Hey, Boone…"

"Yeah?" Last words. He didn't see much point in them. No one was going to remember what they said here. But he figured he may as well play along.

And then she surprised him.

"Let's go kill these fuckers." She grinned.

And before he knew it, she was stumbling out of the station with her gun blazing. He could hear surprised shouts and dying screams. She'd caught them off guard, probably as they were reloading. They might not have expected them to come out from cover.

Without hesitating, he followed after her.

They dropped like bloatflies. He didn't know how it happened—it was just aim, shoot, aim shoot, duck, a blur of movement and blood and sounds and the smell of gunpowder. Some fled, to his astonishment. He'd never heard of Legionaries running. Killing themselves to avoid capture, yes, but never running. Nonetheless, he shot those too. Some still got away, but he focused on the ones still trying to fight, albeit with blades or other weapons since they didn't have time to reload in the face of Angel's charge. She'd run out of bullets too, and had resorted to bludgeoning them with her sturdy rifle. And she had a pretty decent arm, if the cracking of bone he heard was any indicator.

When the last one fell, they both just stood there for a moment, looking around at the carnage surrounding them. A group this size… Just for them? It was a little strange. He looked up at Angel, and almost felt like returning her smirk. _Almost_.

"Showed those fuckers whose bo—shit!" She fell to her hands and knees, and struggled to get back up.

"Stay still. You've lost a lot of blood." He told her as he approached. He crouched down and set his gun down, and reached forward to grab the stained leather and widen the rip in her side for inspection. It looked like the bullet went right through, and it wasn't too deep. Still, there was plenty of blood. Hopefully something of their supplies had survived the grenade and he'd be able to patch it up.

"Hey, you're hurt too, buddy." Angel pointed out. "Take care of yourself first."

He looked at his shoulder, then back at her. "It's not as bad as yours. Now shut up and let me—"

Lottie screamed.

Boone shot up and ran for the door, pointing his gun inside. Someone's fist collided his face and he landed hard on the steps, getting winded. He coughed for air and tried to aim again, but whoever had Lottie had something in their free hand and brought it down.

He heard Angel scream something before the darkness hit him.


End file.
